Hi guys
I have been lurking in the background as a member but haven¡¯t contributed before. So hello everyone.
About ten years ago I bought a dash spear from Marty to use for my 68 car, it didn¡¯t work, and these were my observations at the time:
The unfortunate news is the repro part does not fit a 68 dash. These are the differences:
- Most of the pins on the 69 repro part aren't in exactly the same position as the 68 original, and you therefore have to consider redrilling the dash, enlarging holes, or cutting some pins clean off to make it work. Whatever end you start with, the pins are slightly out in most cases, and the problem is progressive, i.e. the pins get further out of alignment as you go along. The second pin from the right end is most obviously out of alignment, and an anomaly.
- Aligning the spear centrally is problematic, since the pins are not correctly located for the holes in the dash at both ends.
- If you attempt to align the pins at both ends, the spear bows in the middle.
- The spear is not exactly the same size - the 69 repro part extends about 1/3" longer than the original 68 and is in fact slightly too long for the dash recess.
In addition:
- The chrome rib is noticeably wider and has a higher profile than the original 68 spear
- The colour bars are much wider and thicker on the repro 69 part
- The background colour is silver, where the original is black
- The spear tips have a different, more pointed profile on the repro part than the 68 original.
Hopefully this gives you some insight into the situation, and how much compromise you are willing to accept.
Cheers
Matthew
